Quantification of electron-beam proximity effects using a virtual direct write environment

An e-beam exposure module has been developed for an existing lithography simulator, covering aspects of e-beam inter-action with the stack, exposure of the resist by the e-beam as well as development of the resist. The goal of the simulation is to complement experimental data with insights that are difficult or impossible to obtain experimentally and to provide advanced capabilities for process optimization. Simulations are performed for an iso-dense pattern to show that in the case of 5kV acceleration voltage, a standard dose correction works well for tight beams with 5nm blur but is very challenging for 30nm beam blur. Geometric corrections will most likely be needed for a wide beam blur.